Ask The Puma Research Guides: Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness, originally published in 1899 in Blackwood’s Magazine, was written by the Polish-born Joseph Conrad who became a naturalized British citizen. The story, variously classified as a long short story, a short novel or a novella, was based partly on Conrad’s own experiences in Africa. An unnamed narrator tells of an excursion on the Thames and the sailor Marlow who told of his experiences in Africa. Marlow took a steamboat up the Congo River and searched for a man named Kurtz who had spent months in the interior with the Congo natives and away from other Europeans. The story incorporates the literal journey up the river, an inner journey into the soul of mankind, and an examination of European imperialism.

Call Numbers for Browsing the Shelves

• PR6005.O4

LINCCWeb Online Catalog – Search Terms (In All Fields)

• Conrad, Joseph.
• Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924. Heart of Darkness.

Circulating Books – A Selected List

• Bloom, Harold (ed). Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.  1987.

                      Call Number:  PR6005.O4 H477 1987

• Bloom, Harold (ed). Marlow. 1992.

                      Call Number:  PR6005.O4 L737 1992

• Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness: an Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism. 1988.

                     Call Number:  PR6005.O4 H4 1988

• Swisher, Clarice (ed). Readings on Heart of Darkness. 1999.

                      Call Number:  PR6005.O4 H4779 1999

• Tredell, Nicolas. Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness. 1999.

                      Call Number:  PR6005.O4 H4768 1999

Reference Materials

• Critical Survey of Long Fiction. 2^nd Revised Ed. – Call Number:  REF PN3321 .C75 2000

o   Vol. 2, pg. 707-712

Literature and Its Times – Call Number: REF PN50.L574 1997

o   Vol. 2, pg. 145-51

• Magill’s Survey of World Literature – Call Number: REF PN523 .M29 2009

o   Vol. 4, pg. 1545-46

• Masterplots: Revised Second Edition – Call Number: REF PN44.M33 1996

o   Vol. 2, pg. 613-15

• Novels for Students – Call Number: REF PN44.N937

o   Vol. 2, pg. 87-102

• Short Story Criticism –  Call Number: REF PN3321 .S5

o   Vol. 9, pg. 140-41, 143-44, 148-56, 160, 168, 171, 173, 175-76, 178, 188-92, 196-207

o   Vol. 67, pg. 179, 181, 184, 187, 194, 199-200, 203, 207-10, 215-16, 224-25, 227, 237, 239-41, 245, 251, 257, 275-76, 282

o   Vol. 69, pg. 3-10, 12-16, 18, 20-24, 26-27, 32, 35-52, 55, 57-58, 60-73, 75-80, 82-88, 90-92, 94-99, 101-5

o   Vol. 71, pg. 58-59, 81, 129, 135-36

• Short Stories for Students – Call Number: REF PN3330 .S386

o   Vol. 12, pg. 111-32

• Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism – Call Number: REF PN771.G27

o   Vol. 1, 200, 202, 205, 207, 210, 212, 217-18, 220-22

o   Vol. 6, pg. 119-20, 122-24

o   Vol. 13, pg. 99-142

o   Vol. 25, pg. 85-6, 89, 110-11

o   Vol. 43, pg. 133, 135, 137-38, 144-45

o   Vol. 57, pg. 42, 53-54, 61, 66, 85, 87, 100, 103, 108-10, 112, 115, 118, 120

Research Databases

To access Valencia’s research databases, open your Atlas account, select ‘Search the Library’, then select ‘Databases A-Z’.

• Academic Search Complete
• Literature Resources from Gale
• OmniFile Full Text Mega

This Research Guide is designed to help users find information on a particular topic within the Valencia College East Campus Library.  This is by no means a comprehensive list of resources and other resources may be available on this topic.  Please check LINCCWeb, Valencia East’s online catalog, to verify the availability of circulating books within the library.  Feel free to ask a librarian for help if you need further assistance.